American libraries have entered a tremendous new age of information technology and resource sharing. After two decades of civil rights activism, persons with disabilities have access to services and participation in American society in ways that were not dreamed of only a few years ago.

These guidelines are meant to inform librarians about the library needs of the deaf community. They apply to all types of libraries, including public, school, and academic, as well as special libraries serving government, commerce and industry, the arts, the military, hospitals, prisons, and other institutions.

The guidelines contain statements of general principles and, as such, contain no quantitative prescriptions. They are however, meant to serve both as an encouragement to make services accessible for deaf persons and as a means to assess the completeness and quality of such services.

Martha (Marti) L. Goddard

Martha (Marti) L. Goddard is access services manager at the San Francisco Public Library. She worked with the Guidelines for Library Services to People Who are Deaf or Hearing Impaired Ad Hoc Subcommittee to prepare these guidelines.